Finding OER

Open textbooks have been funded, published, and licensed to be freely used, adapted, and distributed. They can be read online or downloaded at no cost, and they can often be printed at low cost.

Like a literature review, searching for OER can be a long and tedious process. You are encouraged to take the time to go through the first two sections below (Finding OER and Search by Discipline). When searching through the following resources, you are encouraged to keep track of what search terms you used and where you used them. A work flow template is provided by Smith and Elder. If you haven't found what you're looking for or want to ensure you've seen everything out there right now, you can go through the resources in the last section (More Collections and Search Tools).

Logos of OER referatories and repositories

Finding OER

These resources are a great place to start your search for OER textbooks.

Open Textbook Collections
Below are some examples of high-quality open textbook collections that are most relevant for CA Community Colleges.
- START HERE! ASCCC OERI Open Educational Resources by Discipline: Lists of open textbooks by discipline, curated by CCC faculty.
- LibreTexts (UC Davis): Widely used, well-developed, largest centralized open education project and platform online. There are different ways to saerch on LibreTexts:
  - LibreTexts search bar in the appropriate Library
  - Include site:libretexts.org in the search string using your favorite search engine
  - Use the Bookshelf of your discipline
- Mason OER Metafinder: Site that searches many of these other referatories and repositories
- OpenStax (Rice University): High-quality, peer-reviewed textbooks and accompanying ancillary materials, such as slides and test banks.
- Open Textbook Library (UMN): A well-curated collection of over 1,000 high-quality open textbooks in many subjects, with faculty reviews.
The following resources should also be reviewed to ensure that you are finding the most representative OER available for your discipline and topic.
- CC ECHO (CA Consortium for Equitable Change in Hispanic Serving Institutions OER): Textbooks recently created by CCC faculty.
- Culturally Relevant OER: See “Some Resources to Review” at the bottom of this page, provided through the Remixing OER Through an Equity Lens project.
- Indigenous Authors: OER repository on PressBooks focused on indigenous writers
- ROTEL (Remixing Open Textbooks through an Equity Lens): A growing collection of OER textbooks created or adapted with an equity and inclusion lens.
Search by Discipline
There are repositories and collections that are focused on specific disciplines, too.
- ASCCC OERI Open Educational Resources by Discipline (same link as above): Lists of open textbooks by discipline, curated by CCC faculty.
- CTE:
  - Child Development and ECEFS: Canvas course of OER resources or select the course below the subtitle "How to Access" on the California’s degree courses (CAP 8) page.
  - Nursing: Open RN & Next Gen RN: textbooks, virtual simulations, and NCLEX practice questions
  - Skills Commons: Search for resources by industry, credital, or material type
- English: Writing Commons
- History: The American YAWP for U.S. History
- Psychology:
  - NOBA Project
  - PressBooks' Psychology Commons
- STEM: Contact Dr. Larry Green for his “Getting Started in Math OER” instructions: [email protected]
  - Carnegie Mellon Pathways for math
  - Laboratories (virtual)
    
    Virtual labs
    
    Resource guide from BCcampus
  - PhET Simulations
More Collections and Search Tools
There are even more places and ways to look for OER. The resources above are usually the most useful, but these are offered for those who like to be really thorough or if you have had trouble finding OER for your topic.
- BCcampus: Curated selection of high-quality OER. Search or browse by discipline.
- CCCOER Find OER: Tips and links to repositories
- COOL4Ed (California Open Online Library for Education): Search by C-ID or browse the faculty showcase by discipline and/or institution.
- Creative Commons: Creative Commons’ search tool, or add their extension
- GALILEO Open Learning Materials (University System of Georgia): High-quality open textbooks and ancillary materials.
- Google Advanced Search: Use "Advanced Search" settings, then click on "Usage Rights" at the bottom. Click on “Free to use share or modify”
  - But always double check license and copyright statement for actual resource
- OASIS: User-friendly OER search tool developed by SUNY Geneseo's Milne Library.
- OER Commons:A large searchable repository. The CA Community Colleges Hub may be of particular interest.
- Open Oregon: Offers information about the actual classes using the OER, links to materials, and instructor information.
- Public Domain Information: Use the left menu to browse public domain collections of books, images, audio/video, and government sites. The Public Domain refers to creative works that are not protected by copyright (for example, works published over 95 years ago), but be careful! Just because you can access it does NOT mean that the material is Public Domain.

The information on this page was adapted from 1.3: Finding OER Texbooks page in Building a Team: Training OER Support Staff by Maritez Apigo, Kim Grewe, Jamie Thomas, and Aloha Sargent, for the California Community Colleges’ Zero Textbook Cost Degree program, and is licensed under CC BY 4.0. The course was developed and is offered under the auspices of College of the Canyons, serving as Technical Assistance Provider, for the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office Zero Textbook Cost Degree Grant Program.

Additional resources are from How Do I Find OER by Dr. Larry Green (https://bit.ly/TOTsearch).